toolkit #3

38
The Systems Analysis Toolkit Project Management Tools

Upload: samuel90

Post on 12-Jan-2015

1.336 views

Category:

Technology


3 download

DESCRIPTION

 

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Toolkit #3

The Systems Analysis Toolkit

Project Management Tools

Page 2: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Systems Analyst’s Toolkit

Part 3 Project Management Tools

Page 3: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Objectives

Describe project management tools and how they are used

Describe the steps used in project planning

Explain the project estimating processDescribe the different scheduling

tools, including Gantt charts and PERT/CPM charts

Page 4: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Objectives

Calculate completion times, start dates, and end dates for a project

Explain the tasks of project monitoring, control, and reporting

Explain the steps involved in software change control

Understand the reasons why projects sometimes fail

Page 5: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Introduction

The Systems Analyst’s Toolkit explainsProject management tools and

techniques including planning, estimating, scheduling, monitoring, control, reporting, and the use of project management software

Gantt charts and PERT/CPM that can be used to schedule and monitor projects and changes

Page 6: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Project Management

Project management is the process of defining, planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the development of an information system

Project management is important throughout the SDLC, and especially during the systems implementation phase

Page 7: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Project Management

Project management overviewGoal is to deliver a system that is

acceptable to users, on time, and within budget

Every project must have a project manager, or project leader

Most large projects also have a project coordinator who handles administrative matters and relationships with users

Page 8: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Project Management

Management functionsPlanning: identifying and planning project

tasks and estimating completion times and costs

Organizing: staffing, including selecting the project team and assigning responsibilities to team members

Leading or directing: guiding, supervising, and coordinating the team’s workload

Controlling: monitoring progress, evaluating results, and taking necessary corrective action

Page 9: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Project Management

Project planningA project plan is an overall framework for

managing costs and schedulesThe planning process involves

Activities (tasks)Events (milestones)

Click to see Figure 3-1 Click to see Figure 3-1 Package

Page 10: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Project Estimating

Factors that project managers must considerSize of the project

A project that is twice as large as another will require considerably more than twice the resources

As the size of the project grows, the number of interfaces grows even faster

Capabilities of team members

Click to see Figure 3-3 Click to see Figure 3-3 Package

Click to see Figure 3-2 Click to see Figure 3-2 Package

Page 11: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Project Estimating

Developing time and cost estimatesProject size and scopeIT resourcesPrior experienceConstraints

Page 12: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Project Scheduling

The project manager must knowThe duration of each taskThe order in which the tasks will be

performedThe start and end times for each activityWho will be assigned to each task

Assignments should not overload or under-utilize team members

A level workload is desirable

Page 13: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

A project manager can use several graphical planning toolsGantt chartsPERT/CPM charts

Page 14: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

Gantt chartsA Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart

that illustrates a scheduleTime is shown on the horizontal axis and

activities are arranged verticallyThe position of a bar shows the start and

end of a task, and the length of the bar shows the task’s duration

Click to see Figure 3-5 Click to see Figure 3-5 Package

Page 15: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

Gantt chartsTasks can be combined into activity

groups to simplify the chartVarious methods exist for tracking

progress Shade the completed portion of a barUse a triangle or arrowhead as an indicatorUse a second bar to show the completed

work

Click to see Figure 3-6 Click to see Figure 3-6 Package

Page 16: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

PERT/CPMThe Program Evaluation Review

Technique (PERT) and the Critical Path Method (CPM) were developed separately but now are referred to as PERT/CPM

A PERT/CPM chart displays a project as a network diagram, with activities shown as vectors, and events represented by nodes

Page 17: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

PERT/CPMThe vectors representing tasks connect

the nodes, which indicate milestonesThe activity’s estimated duration is

shown below the vector

Click to see Figure 3-7b Click to see Figure 3-7b Package

Click to see Figure 3-7a Click to see Figure 3-7a Package

Page 18: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

PERT/CPMThe vectors representing tasks connect

the nodes, which indicate milestonesThe activity’s estimated duration is

shown below the vectorTasks that must be completed in a

specific sequence are called dependent, or serial, tasks

Click to see Figure 3-8 Click to see Figure 3-8 Package

Page 19: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

PERT/CPMThe vectors representing tasks connect

the nodes, which indicate milestonesThe activity’s estimated duration is shown

below the vectorTasks that must be completed in a

specific sequence are called dependent, or serial, tasks

Dummy activities can be used to show task dependencies

Click to see Figure 3-9 Click to see Figure 3-9 Package

Page 20: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

PERT/CPMA project can be represented with a

Gantt chart and a PERT/CPM chartSignificant differences exist between the

two methods, and each method has strengths and weaknesses

Click to see Figure 3-10 Click to see Figure 3-10 Package

Page 21: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

PERT/CPMActivity duration

A weighted formula can be used to estimate activity duration

The formula calculates a weighted result based on three separate estimates (optimistic (O), pessimistic (P), and most likely (M))

Page 22: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

PERT/CPM Earliest completion times

The earliest completion time for an activity is called the ECT

The ECT is the minimum amount of time needed to complete all the activities that precede the event

Click to see Figure 3-10 Click to see Figure 3-10 Package

Page 23: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

PERT/CPMEarliest completion times

Working from left to right on the chart, the ECT is calculated by taking the ECT of the preceding event and adding the duration of the immediately preceding task

If the event has more than one preceding task, use the largest ECT of the preceding tasks, including any dummy tasks

The ECT is shown as a number in the upper-right section of the event node symbol

Page 24: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

PERT/CPMLatest completion times

The latest completion time for an activity is called the LCT

The LCT is the latest time at which the event can occur without delaying the overall project

Page 25: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

PERT/CPMLatest completion times

To determine an LCT, you reverse the procedure for an ECT

Work from right to left, and subtract the LCT of the following task

If the event has more than one following task, use the smallest LCT of the following tasks, including any dummy tasks

The LCT is shown as a number in the lower-right section of the event node symbol

Page 26: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

PERT/CPMLatest completion times

The slack time for an event is the amount of time by which an event can be late without delaying the project

The slack time is the difference between the LCT and the ECT, if any

Page 27: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Scheduling Tools

PERT/CPMCritical path

A critical path is a series of events and activities with no slack time

At least one complete path will exist where every node has equal ECTs and LCTs

If any task on the critical path is delayed beyond its LCT, the entire project falls behind by that amount of time

Project managers focus on the critical path in order to keep the project on track

Page 28: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Project Monitoring, Controlling,and ReportingProject monitoring and control

Project managersSet standardsEnsure that they are followedKeep track of the progress of team membersCompare actual progress to the planVerify the completion of project milestones

Page 29: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Project Monitoring, Controlling,and ReportingProject scheduling

Spend adequate time planning up frontAnticipate problems, identify potential

solutions, and select best way to solve problem

Page 30: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Project Reporting

The project manager must Collect the informationVerify the informationOrganize the informationEvaluate the informationPrepare a summarySubmit a report to management

Page 31: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Project Reporting

Project status meetingsProject managers schedule regular

status meetings with the systems development teamShare informationUpdate the groupIdentify problems or delaysExplain new techniquesOffer comments to team membersConduct brainstorming sessions

Page 32: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Project Reporting

Project status reportsA project manager must report regularly to

a supervisor, upper managers, and usersWhen to inform others of potential

problemsToo soon, and the manager might lose

credibility by reporting on minor problemsToo late, and there might not be time for a

solution to a serious problemBest course of action is somewhere between

the two extremes

Page 33: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Project Management Software

A software package, such as Microsoft Project, offers many featuresPERT/CPM and Gantt chartsResource schedulingProject calendarsCost tracking and cost-benefit analysisPrinted reports and screen displays

Computer-generated screens show activities as nodes, with vectors connecting the tasks and indicating task dependencies

Click to see Figure 3-12 Click to see Figure 3-12 Package

Page 34: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Software Change Control

Software change control is the process of managing and controlling changes requested after the system requirements document has been approvedChanges are inevitableA typical control procedure has four steps

1. Complete a change request form2. Take initial action on the request3. Analyze the impact of the requested change4. Determine the disposition of the requested

change

Click to see Figure 3-13 Click to see Figure 3-13 Package

Page 35: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Keys to Project Success

Successful systems must satisfy business requirements, meet users’ needs, stay within budget, and be completed on time

The essential objective is to provide a solution to a business problem

Page 36: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Keys to Project Success

Some reasons for failureUnclear requirements, targets, or scopeShortcuts or sloppy workPoor design choicesInsufficient testing or test proceduresLack of software change controlChanges in culture, funding, or objectivesUnrealistic cost estimatesPoor monitoring and control of progressInadequate reaction to early signs of problemsFailure to recognize activity dependenciesPersonality conflicts and employee turnover

Page 37: Toolkit #3

Systems Analysis and Design Fourth Edition

Keys to Project Success

When the project manager recognizes a problem, what options are available?Trim the project requirementsAdd to the project resourcesDelay the project deadlineImprove the quality of project management

Whatever the reason, the project manager must try to get the project back under control and keep it under control

Page 38: Toolkit #3

EndTookit Part 3